Brazil’s Centro-Atlântica Railroad (known by its Portuguese acronym, FCA) was privatized in 1996, and is now controlled by Vale. FCA is the main rail link between the country’s Northeast, Southeast and Center-West regions, and consists of various lines extending for around 8,000 kilometers in total, connecting inland Brazil with the ports of Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
FCA’s tracks cross the Federal District and seven states: Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Sergipe, Goiás, Bahia and São Paulo. FCA is interconnected with Brazil’s other major railroads, enabling access to the country’s main consumer markets.
The variety of train cars used allows a wide range of products to be transported, including ethanol, oil products, soy, cement, pig iron, bauxite, clinker, phosphates, lime and steel products. The railroad operates approximately 12,000 train cars and 500 locomotives, all monitored via satellite (GPS).
In the state of Minas Gerais, FCA serves the historic cities of Ouro Preto, Mariana, São João and Tiradentes, offering journeys that take tourists back to the days of colonial Brazil.